1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to preselected designs which are attachable, by sewing or by application of heat and/or pressure, to an article of fabric. More specifically, the present invention pertains to preselected designs which comprise a layer of material on one side of which an ink portion of the composite design has been printed and which, after being cut into a desired shape, may be attached to the article of fabric. In particular, the present invention pertains to articles of composite design and methods of making and attaching such composite designs to articles of fabric such as athletic uniforms.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Materials and methods for transferring a design to another object have long been in existence. Many new materials and methods have been developed in recent years for specific purposes. For example, heat transfer laminates have become increasingly popular for imprinting designs on fabric articles such as t-shirts, jackets, dresses, caps, etc. Most of these recent methods of transfer of printing are accomplished with a laminate having a base sheet or layer of some type of paper, cellophane, synthetic resin, etc. The base sheet or layer would be typically coated with some type of adhesive on top of which a layer of some type of ink may be printed or deposited. The ink layer is in the form of a design which is to be transferred or imprinted on the fabric of the article on which the design is desired. Then the ink design layer is coated with a second adhesive layer.
The laminate is placed against the fabric of the article on which the design is desired with the second adhesive layer in contact therewith. Then heat and pressure are applied to the base sheet or layer side of the laminate until the heat is sufficient to melt the second adhesive layer enough to bond the design to the fabric and until the first adhesive layer is melted enough to allow release of the base sheet or layer. After application of heat and pressure, the base sheet is removed and the remaining components of the laminate are allowed to cool, leaving the design imprinted or permanently bonded to the fabric.
While these previous art transfer designs and methods are suitable for many applications, they are not acceptable for others. For example, designs and lettering for college and professional athletic uniforms are typically made from multiple layers of twill which are sewed to the athletic garment. A sewn multi-color twill design would require two or more members which are sewn to the garment and each other. Although the appearance of such a design is one of quality and depth, it is very time consuming to manufacture and more expensive than other methods of design attachment. It also adds considerable weight to the garment.
Garments such as athletic uniforms on which designs have been directly or indirectly imprinted are generally perceived as a lower quality product and are priced accordingly. Obviously, there is a need or demand for composite designs and methods of attachment to an article of fabric, such as an athletic uniform, which would give the appearance of sewed composite twill designs without the manufacturing and expense problems associated therewith. One type of transfer and the method of making such for this purpose is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,851. In this method, the composite design is formed from a flock component and a layer of twill material. First a design is flocked onto a paper substrate having a release adhesive. A binder and hot melt adhesive is applied to the flock design and the hot melt adhesive is applied to a second paper substrate coated with a release adhesive. The twill sheet is bonded to the hot melt layer which was applied to the second paper substrate. The twill is die cut so that is smaller than the outside dimensions of the flock but greater than the interior opening in the flock. The twill is adhesively bonded to the hot melt layer of the flock.